District



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' J. 0. FOWLER & E. A. HENKLE.

PRINTING MACHINE.

No. 373,354. Patented Nov. 15, 1887.

Jizveialozzs: 'efoaqaz? flbwZezr ah I vita-ram. M

Mwara? (92' 1759763] 8. $24414 (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. 'J. C. POWLERKI; E. A. HENKLE.

I PRINTING MAGHINE. No. 373,354. Patented N0v.'15, 1887.

QNV QQQ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet a.

J. O.-POWLER & E.. A. vHBNKLE.

' PRINTING MACHINE.

No 373,354. Patented Nov} 15, 1887.

n-m IlllllllIllllllllllllllllllll 1p, 5 /s" M N. PETERS, Phnloulhognphnr, Wanhinghm D C.

. UN T D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH O. FOWLER AND EDWARD A. HENKLE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN PRINTING PRESS COM- PANY, or SAME PLACE.

PRINTING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,354. dated November 15, 1887.

Application filed Februnry 2|, 181:7. Serial No. 228,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may cnccrn.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPHO. FOWLER and EDWARD A. HENKLE, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Printing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to printing-machines of the class shown and described in an application for Letters Patent filed'by us February 15, 1887, with the present application, and numbered in serial 227,747. Y

It isthe purpose of our present invention to improve and simplify certain parts of the invention shown in oursaid application,whereby the press-beds are all driven from a single central powershaft placed within the orbit, positive connection being made, also, not only between said power-shaft and the shaft of the impression-cylinder, but between the pressbeds and said power-shaft and between the beds and the impressioncylinder, whereby great accuracy is secured in the contact between the traveling surfaces, as well as perfect 25 register of the perfected sheet.

It is also .our purpose to simplify and improve the mechanism for carrying thepressbeds in their orbit andmaintaining positive connection between them and the impressioncylinder; and to these ends theinveution consists in the several novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the feed end of the machine, taken centrally. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line as m, Fig. 1, the press-beds above and below being removed, while those in the ends of the orbit are shown. Fig. 3 is a top View of one of the press-beds detached. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of one of the beds.

in the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine, in which is formed the orbit or race 2, wherein the press-beds move. This orbit is of the form produced by a circle which is flattened at its poles until the horizontal diameter is about three times as great as the vertical. The ends bit.

mesh with both the gears 4 and 6.

of the orbit thus formed are. arcs of true circles struck with the same radius from points in the horizontal diameter of the orbit.

At the true center of the orbit is placed the power-shaft 3, having its axis at the intersection of'the two central lines measuring the or- Near each end of this shaft, a little within the frame 1, is mounted a gear, 4. In the horizontal line passing through the axis of the power-shaft are two shafts, 5, one at each end of the orbit, each having its axis at the point from which the circular ends of the orbit were struck. Each of these shafts carries gears 6, of equal diameter with the gears 4 and having v the same number of teeth. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen, however, that the gears carried by the shafts 5 are in the same vertical plane with each other, but in a different vertical plane from the gears 4 on the shaft 3.

Intermediate the central shaft and the two shafts 5 are placed shafts 7, having their axes in the same central horizontal line of the orbit. Each of these shafts carries two-gears, 8, of double width and of such diameter as to Above and below each of the shafts 7 are placed shafts 9, each shaft carrying two pinions, 10, arranged in the same vertical plane with the gears 4. The size of these pinions is such that while they mesh with the gears 8 a horizontal line drawnabove and below the gears 4 and passing through their line of pitch will also pass through the same point on said pinions, as it will also through the pitch line of the gears 6. All these shafts have bearing in the machine-frame 1.

Each pressbed is composed of a flat metallic table, 11, or plate of such length that it will move easily between the sides of the machine-frame. Upon the ends of each bed are studs 12, on which are placed friction-rolls 13, which run in the orbit. Each bed hasa twin chase, 13, of the same kind described in our other application.

Upon the bottom of each bed near the ends are placed two pairs of racks, the outer pair,

14, being straight, as shown by full lines in Fig. 5, and the inner pair, 15, having a concave central portion,15". (Shown in dotted lines in said figure.) In both these racks the teeth are similar, the straight racks 14 being so placed that they mesh with the gears (and pinlons 10, while the racks 14 mesh with the gears 6 only.

The operation of these parts of our invention 15 very clearly shown in Fig. 1. Rotation being given the shaft 3 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the beds in the orbit 2 will travel from the left toward the right of said figure, the racks 14 meshing successively with p mons 10 on the left of the central shaft, then with gears 4,and finally with pinions 10 on the right, each meshing with said racks before the latter have passed out of engagement with their predecessors. By the pinions 10 on the right of the central shaft the racks 15 are meshed with the gears 6, by which the beds are carried around the curved ends of the orbit. As the teeth of said gears mesh centrally with the concave portion 15 ofthe racks 15, the bed 1s brought fully into the curve, and from that point it moves with the gear as if rigid with the same, the gear-teeth making no advance 1n the racks until the bed begins to pass into the lower horizontal portion of the orbit, when the racks pass off the gears 6, butnot until the pinions 1O beneath the shaft 7 have engaged the racks 14.

Outside the machine-frame upon theprojectlng end of the shaft 3 is mounted a gear, 16, meshing with a gear, 17, upon the shaft 18 of the impression-cylinder 19. This cylinder is mounted in adjustable bearings moving in slotted brackets on the frame. and near the ends of the cylinder are formed annular racks 20, as described in our other application. These racks mesh with straight racks 21, attached to the upper faces of the press beds near the ends, and so constructed that they may be readily removed from the said beds. A convenient way of accomplishing this is to screw the racks on the beds, as shown in Fig. 8.

The other parts of the machine-such as the inking apparatus, the revei-singrolls, and the severing, feeding, and stitching devices-are not substantially different from those shown in our concurrent application, mentioned hereinbefore.

The inking devices shown in Fig. 1 are the same, essentially,as those show n,described, and claimed in the said application filed by us February 15,1887, Serial No. 227,747, and this portion of the mechanism therefore forms no part of the invention contained in this application.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. In a printi ng-press, the combinatiomwith the frame having an orbit or race of elongated horizontal diameter and circular ends,ofintermeshing gears arranged within said orbit, and a series of press-beds traveling therein having racks upon their lower faces which mesh with said gears, the latter being concentric with the circular ends of the orbit or race,said press-beds being carried around in the race or orbit with the bottoms of said beds at all times adjacent to the propelling-gears, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the frame having an orbit, the ends whereof are circular and the parts between the ends horizontal and parallel, of shafts having their axes in the major axis of the orbit, the outer shafts being concentric with the circular ends of the orbit, gears carried by said shafts and revolving in the same vertical planes, similar gears on the central shaft arranged in different vertical planes, intermediates by which the trains of gears are meshed together,and press-beds traveling in said orbit and provided upon their lower faces with two racks near each end, whereof one is plain or straight and the other coneaved throughout its central portion, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the press-frame having an elongated orbit with circular ends,

of gearing arranged within said orbit anddriven from a single shaft, press-beds traveling in said orbit and having racks on their lower faces which mesh with said gears, by which the beds are driven in the orbit, racks upon the upper faces of said beds, and an impressioncylinder revolving above the central portion of the orbit and having annular racks which mesh with the racks on the upper faces of the press'beds, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the press'frame having an elongated orbit with circular ends, of a central shaft having gears inside of the orbit and near the frame, a shaft near and concentric with each end of the orbit, said shafts having gears rotatingin vertical planes inside the gears of the central shaft, intermediates of double width connecting said gears and driving-pinions above and below said intermediates, pressbeds having straight and concaved racks on their lower faces and provided with trunnions running in the race, racks on the upper faces of said beds, an impression-cylinder having annular racks engaging therewith, a gear on the shalt of said cylinder, and a gear on the central shaft of the orbit-gears meshing therewith, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a pressframe having an elongated orbit, of press-beds havin g racks 011 their upper and lower faces, gearing arranged within the orbit and meshing with the racks on the lower faces of said beds, an impression-cylinder having annular racks meshing with the racks on their upper faces, and gearing by which the central power-shaft of the orbit-gears is positively connected with the shaft of the impression-cylinder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH O. FOYVLER. E. A. HENKLE.

. \Vitnesscs:

J AMES L. Nonms, J. A. RUTHERFORD. 

